I am needing to collect the used engine oil out of my placed pop top collection barrels. I had used a gear pump for chemical sprayer applications but it is not working well. I have been looking at some of the small gas 3 HP semi trash pumps with 1.5" in/out and rated to lift water up to 25', but have no idea if they would effectively (or at all) pump viscous liquids from/to containers at same level. I can pick one up from Ebay for $150 so I won't be out much if it doesn't work, but wondered if anyone has tried anything similar.
I would suggest a diaphragm pump. No potential sparks that way.
ill second the diaphragm pump they work well to transfer most any fluid in a machine
Another vote for an air diaphragm pump. That's what we use.
Our used oil system has electric powered gear pumps. It works ,ok but, when oil is cold like these days in the single digits F. it will trip the breakers. Nice thing about air powered diaphragm pump is it will never over heat if it stalls out due to viscous oil. So even if it takes five minutes to pump one stroke there will be no damage. Also no damage if someone forgets and lets it run dry. Would also think that a diaphragm pump would handle the crap that might be in the used oil better with little wear problems. If I thought anyone would listen to me, only been around this stuff for 40+ years so what do I know, I would try to talk them in to replacing our gear pump set up with the air/diaphragm style pumps. Maybe I could use the "Safety Point" that sometimes gets more results than the "common sense" arguments these days.
Yes it will work as long as it not very cooled and thick. I know a shop that uses one to pump oil into a tank on their truck. I have pumped 1000s of gallons of fuel with one.
Thanks for the replies. I am going to try the trash pump and see how it works. I will be collecting used oil from a local farmer running new equipment and the deal is I take his old oil if he keeps it clean. I will be using it in my fuel mixing setup. I will report back with my results in case anyone is interested. I agree the diaphragm or gear pumps would be better but I don't have power sources to run them on my truck, nor deep enough pockets.
Have you thought about a vacuum setup? Kind of a larger scale "suck bucket" using a steel tank in the truck with a hose going to your vacuum source, a gas engine, intake of air compressor etc.
For barrels transfer this may work good at some sites (if you have time) we transferred fuel this way. Grainger has a small non adjustable 10psi regulator cheap. supply air to small barrel plug. on the 2 inch side you would make a dip tube that comes one inch from bottom of the barrel. find an old barrel bung or drilled out reducer and weld or brazen on dip tube. Connect your one inch oil flow line to the dip tube. Apply 10psi to the vent side. this is what we went with after burning out lots of 12 volt pump $
I have considered the pressurizing or vaccuum pumps but I'm not sure my barrels are very airtight, plus I am pumping it into an old overhead flip cap fuel tank minus the legs which I have to empty when I come back to my shop. My largest source also has an old tank he had been filling which still has 300 G in it which I need to collect. Pumping is my best option having several different source containers.